2 Pierce County groups awarded Washington Trust historic preservation grants

December 16, 2013 1:39 pm
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The historically significant Curran House in Pierce County. (PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION)
The historically significant Curran House in Pierce County. (PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION)

Two Pierce County historical societies have been awarded grants through the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2014 Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund.

The Spanaway Historical Society was awarded $2,000 to re-roof the milk shed and blacksmith shed located at the Prairie House Museum, which provides educational activities and interpretation of pioneer life in Pierce County.

The University Place Historical Society was awarded $2,000 to paint the exterior of the Curran House, a significant post-war modernist residential building that was once endangered but is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The historically significant Curran House in Pierce County. (PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION)
The historically significant Curran House in Pierce County. (PHOTO COURTESY WASHINGTON TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION)

Grant awards and recipients outside of Pierce County include a $2,000 grant to Bush House LLC, in Index, Wash., for the restoration of the original entry doors of the Bush House Inn; a $2,000 grant to the Ritzville Downtown Development Association to restore and reconstruct the neon along the main marquee and awning of the Ritz Theatre; and a $1,000 grant to the Three Rivers Carousel Foundation in Kennewick, Wash., toward the relocation and restoration of a historic carousel.

The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s Valerie Sivinski Washington Preserves Fund annually provides grant funding to organizations statewide working to preserve local historic resources. The program aims to assist preservation projects at the local level. Established in 1997, the program has awarded over 100 projects totaling nearly $100,000 in funding to local historic preservation organizations and advocates engaged in the important work of preserving Washington’s cultural heritage. Funding for the grant program is obtained from private donations to the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation with the goal of providing a minimum of $10,000 in grant funding per year.

Past Tacoma and Pierce County recipients have included:

  • Broadway Center for the Performing Arts (Tacoma | 2013) – $1,150 in emergency funding to repair a leak near the main lobby entry of the Pantages Theater;
  • Ezra Meeker Historical Society (Puyallup | 2013) – $1,500 to patch, fill, replace and seal the westside window bay in preparation for painting at the Meeker Mansion;
  • Points Northeast Historical Society (Browns Point | 2013) – $1,000 for abatement of asbestos and lead paint at the Browns Point Light Station Buildings;
  • South Pierce County Historical Society (Eatonville | 2013) – $650 for rehabilitation and stabilization work to the main entry wall of the historic Van Eaton Cabin;
  • Steilacoom Historical Museum Association (Steilacoom | 2013) – $1,500 to address needed repairs to the banister on the main stairway at the 1857 Nathaniel Orr Home;
  • Historic Fort Steilacoom Association (Lakewood | 2012) – $500 to paint the exteriors of four 1850s buildings, which served as officer’s quarters at the historic fort;
  • University Place Historical Society (University Place | 2012) – $1,000 to help restore the decks onthe mid-century modern Curran House;
  • Ezra Meeker Historical Society (Puyallup | 2011) – $2,000 to help rehabilitate dining room windowsat the National Register-listed Meeker Mansion;
  • Fort Nisqually Foundation (Tacoma | 2011) – $500 to develop architectural drawings for the circa1850 National Historic Landmark Granary at Fort Nisqually;
  • Gig Harbor Boatshop (Gig Harbor | 2011) – $1,000 to repair and restore the hull of Thunderbird #2, a racing sailboat designed and manufactured in Gig Harbor;
  • Steilacoom Tribal Museum Association (Steilacoom | 2010) – $1,000 to help restore the roof of the historic Oberlin Church, now used as the Tribal Cultural Center;
  • University Place Historical Society (University Place | 2010) – $500 to restore window glass and trim on the historic Curran House;
  • Historic Tacoma (Tacoma | 2007) – $1,000 to assess and restore water damaged plaster and ornamental painting in the main hall of the Pythian Temple;
  • South Pierce County Historical Society (Eatonville | 2007) – $500 to frame and pour a new foundation for the relocation of the Eatonville Japanese Community Milk House;
  • Tacoma Railcar Preservation Society (Tacoma | 2007) – $1,000 to assist in repairing the wooden roof of the 1910 Northern Pacific Dining Car;
  • Friends of Eddon Boatworks (Gig Harbor | 2004) – $500 for public information materials for a city bond election to acquire and save Eddon Boatworks.

Additionally, the amount of funding has generally increased every year:

  • 2014 ($9,000 awarded to five projects);
  • 2013 ($10,000 awarded to nine projects);
  • 2012 ($10,000 awarded to 11 projects);
  • 2011 ($10,000 awarded to nine projects);
  • 2010 ($6,500 awarded to eight projects);
  • 2009 ($8,000 awarded to five projects);
  • 2008 ($6,000 awarded to six projects);
  • 2007 ($7,500 awarded to 10 projects);
  • 2006 ($4,385 awarded to seven projects);
  • 2005 ($6,500 awarded to nine projects);
  • 2004 ($7,000 awarded to eight projects);
  • 2003 ($3,250 awarded to four projects);
  • 2002 ($3,000 awarded to three projects);
  • 2001 ($2,000 awarded to two projects);
  • 2000 ($1,000 awarded to one project);
  • 1999 ($1,250 awarded to three projects);
  • 1998 ($1,250 awarded to four projects).
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